Operation Antarctica Defense
dm, Europe’s Largest Drugstore Retailer, Drops All Krill Products
Saturday, 21 Mar, 2026
News
Time Health Becomes First Supplement Manufacturer to Commit to Ending Krill Product Sales
Friday, 27 Mar, 2026
Time Health, a UK-based supplement manufacturer and retailer, has committed to removing all krill-derived products from its range over the coming months, becoming the first producer to sign the Antarctic Krill Pledge.
The Pledge, authored by British retailer Holland & Barrett and developed in collaboration with Sea Shepherd Global, seeks to protect krill, a linchpin species of the Antarctic ecosystem and states: “Krill are the foundation of Antarctic life. As retailers, we recognize that our sourcing decisions shape ecosystems far beyond our shelves. In collaboration with Sea Shepherd, we commit to protecting Antarctic ecosystems by reducing pressure on krill, a species essential to whales, penguins, seals, and the wider marine food web.”
It also calls on companies to publicly commit to transparent divestment timelines and to pledge not to reintroduce krill-based products in the future. Both companies that currently sell krill products and those that do not are encouraged to sign.
“Sea Shepherd applauds Time Health for becoming the first supplement manufacturer to sign the Antarctic Krill Pledge, joining retailer Holland & Barrett in committing to end the production and sale of krill-based products. Protecting Antarctica demands decisive leadership across the entire nutraceutical industry—from retailers to suppliers—and Time Health’s example sets a clear standard for other producers to follow."
- Peter Hammarstedt, Chief Campaigns Officer for Sea Shepherd Global
The announcement comes as the Sea Shepherd vessel Allankay concludes a six-week Antarctic expedition, during which crews documented the growing conflict between whales and industrial supertrawlers competing for krill. The organization has sounded the alarm about weakening regulations governing the rapidly expanding krill fishery.
Krill are a keystone species in the Southern Ocean, converting energy captured by phytoplankton into a food source that sustains whales, penguins, seals, and countless other species. Declines in krill populations can destabilize the entire Antarctic ecosystem. Scientific evidence suggests that krill densities around the Antarctic Peninsula—where much of the fishing occurs—may have declined by as much as 80 percent since the 1970s.
A key conservation measure requiring krill fishing to be distributed across a wider geographic area—designed to reduce the risk of localized depletion—was not renewed last year. As a result, fishing effort has become increasingly concentrated in biodiversity hotspots, intensifying pressure on Antarctic wildlife.
Earlier this month, the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) formally objected to the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) re-certification of the Antarctic krill fishery as ‘sustainable’ and called for an immediate moratorium on krill fishing, a significant development, particularly given that WWF is a founding organization of the MSC.
“As our understanding of the environmental considerations surrounding krill harvesting has developed, we have decided to sign Sea Shepherd’s Antarctic Krill Pledge and phase out krill-derived products. As a business, we support initiatives focused on protecting and restoring critical ecosystems that support carbon capture, and it became increasingly clear that continuing to manufacture products containing krill was not aligned with this direction. While there are differing views within the scientific and regulatory landscape, we recognize the ecological importance of krill within the Antarctic ecosystem and believe it is the right time to take a proactive position.”
- Spokesperson for Time Health
Holland & Barrett was the first major retailer to publicly commit to ending their sale of krill-based products, announcing that it will end all sales by April 2026.
Recently, Germany’s largest drugstore retailer, dm-drogerie markt (commonly known as dm), confirmed it will also cease all sales of krill products across its more than 4,000 European stores.